Pintail or Dropthrough: Which one should I choose?

The amount of board shapes and designs in longboarding is ever-growing. With so many shapes to choose from, how are you supposed to narrow down what's going to be best for you and your ability level?

Two of the most popular and common shapes are pintails and dropthroughs. These are both great for beginners and intermediates, and really vary depending on what type of skating you want to do. The boards obviously look different, but that difference goes much farther than appearance.

PINTAIL: The pintail is the most classic and recognizable shape. It's lines are sleek and look very similar to a surfboard. Far less technical looking and much simpler to create. Most commonly associated with it's surfy feel, it's the board most people gravitate towards when they are just starting out purely because of familiarity with the design. It's deck is mounted on TOP of the trucks. This means it stands higher off the ground and pivots farther with each turn lending to a very carvy and floating feeling. Because it's higher off the ground you have to dip your foot down deeper for each push so it's best used for smooth cruising, carving, and not necessarily distance. It's also a bit tougher to learn how to slide because it's so high off the ground. This is a great board for someone looking to "Surf" the pavement and cruise around with friends.

DROPTHROUGH: For distance skating, commuting, and anyone looking to slide and learn more technical skating, the dropthrough is the board for you. It's trucks are actually mounted through the deck, basically with the deck hanging off the bottom of the trucks on the hardware. This gets the board much closer to the ground. By doing this the board pivots less aggressively and has a super STABLE feel. This makes it great for people who want to go longer distances, or use the board for commuting. Because it sits closer to the ground it is also more stable for learning to slide. Once thing beginners often do with a dropthrough is place their foot too far forward and catch the wheels. You won't stand over the trucks on a dropthrough like you would with the pintail.

So which board wins in each category? Remember that either board is capable of any style but one will outperform the other.